The latest in this series of culture invasions of a different kind is the controversy being raised over the Hindi film,``Zakhm'' directed by Mahesh Bhatt. Set in the background of the 1992-93 Mumbai riots, the film, autobiographical in nature, ran into censor trouble with the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification, Asha Parekh, sending it to the Union Home Ministry for clearance. Parekh, onetime purveyor of the song-dance-sex routine in Hindi films, has seen merit in her decision since the film dealt with a ``sensitive'' issue like riots. Incidentally, according to Bhatt, she refused to even see the film herself before taking the extreme step and was acting on the ``advice'' of the Mumbai police chief, R.Mendonca. Bhatt, naturally, is an upset man; he would have been simply angry if he had known that Parekh happens to be a ``very good friend'' of the BJP leader and former chief minister of Delhi, Sushma Swaraj.

It is not as if films on riots have never been made in India. We have had the celebrated ``Bombay'' by Mani Ratnam before; there was no major hue and cry. This could be a simplistic explanation but one is inclined to believe in the obvious; Ratnam did not have to contend with a BJP Government at the Centre. Neither did he have to deal with a Censor Board chief who chooses not to see the films she is supposed to certify for viewing nor have friends like Swaraj who, perhaps incidentally again, was one minister who during her brief tenure at the Centre imposed a dress code on female newscasters of Doordarshan!

However, all this is frightening. May be, just may be, the outrage against ``Fire'' can be wished away as the aberrations of a conservative society but the noises made against ``Zakhm'' have greater and more dangerous ramifications. Simply because, this is not conservatism we are talking about here but pure fear. It is fear of facing the reality which sends the censor Board chief scurrying for cover; it is the fear of having to watch a replay of all that they have undone that makes the BJP leaders root for ``drastic cuts'' and finally, it is fear again which tries to put the lid on one of the most important periods of our recent history. And it is simply foolhardy to try and hide facts from the public. Because in the end, it is the truth which has to win.